Our viewpoint: We’ve seen the enemy and it’s white supremacists

The people who pose as our leaders have been busy insisting that the great danger to our Republic comes from a tinhorn despot in Pyongyang, a group of fanatics hiding in caves in Afghanistan and Central Americans sneaking across the Mexican border. In fact, the greatest danger has been growing relatively silently in our midst.

A week ago, this ugly reality came into view in Charlottesville, Virginia, when white supremacists rallied to protest plans to remove a status of Robert E. Lee. They clashed with counter-protesters and one of their acolytes is accused of driving a car into the counter-protesters, killing one and injuring 19.

The roots of this movement run deep, all the way back to Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. When Democrats in the 1960s pushed through the civil-rights and voting-rights acts, Republicans elected to rebuild their fortunes by relying on the support of white racists.

The movement simmered for decades as African-Americans steadily gained in power and influence. Republican leaders seemed to look upon the racists as an annoying irritant who were useful at the polls.

When an African-American was elected president in 2008, the irritants suddenly became major players in the GOP. Still, even though white resentment was a major factor in the Republicans’ 2010 gains, this fact was masked by other issues.

The mask fell off in Charlottesville. These people had one issue, and one issue alone: race. When they say they want power for whites, they do not include in that group non-Christians or people with Spanish surnames. Their message is a spewing of hate not heard in the circles of power since 1945.

How do we react? The hate-mongers say they want to be part of the national debate. Absolutely not. The national debate is for people who want to form a more perfect union, not those who want to destroy it and replace it with a fascist police state.

To a large degree, the onus is on the Republicans. They are the ones in whose midst this cancer has grown and they are the ones who must cut it out if they are to survive. Republican leaders need to declare, loudly and forcefully and continually, that there is no place for the racist right in their party.

In a larger sense, we all must do the same. Racism is anti-American. It has no place in our national discourse and those who espouse it have no place in our society. They must be condemned and ostracized. Were they in power they would condemn and ostracize us, and they would not be nearly as nice about as we should be.

It would be helpful if leadership in this effort came from the top, but clearly it won’t. The coward who occupies the Oval Office either supports the racists or wants their support so much he will endanger public order to get it.

In either case, he has once again demonstrated he is morally unfit to be president.

We live in a dangerous world. The North Korean threat is real and must be met with forceful diplomacy. We must assume that Kim Jong-un is not suicidal.

The jihadists who disgrace the name of Islam can wreak some havoc in the U.S., though it appears Europe is in more danger. We must hit them hard wherever we can without getting bogged down in endless wars.

Immigration is not, and never has been, a security issue. It should be addressed with sensible laws, not walls.